Zoltan Kodaly | Hungarian composer | Britannica.com Hungarian composer Hector Berlioz Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian form Kodály Zoltán (born December 16, 1882, Kecskemét , Austria-Hungary [now in Hungary]—died March 6, 1967, Budapest), prominent composer and authority on Hungarian folk music . He was also important as an educator not only of composers but also of teachers, and, through his students, he contributed heavily to the spread of music education in Hungary . He was a chorister in his youth at Nagyszombat, Austria-Hungary (now Trnava , Slovakia), where he wrote his first compositions . In 1902 he studied composition in Budapest . He toured his country in his first quest for folk-song sources in the year before his graduation from Budapest University with a thesis (1906) on the structure of Hungarian folk song. After studying for a short time in Paris with the composer-organist Charles Widor , he became teacher of theory and composition at the Budapest Academy of Music (1907–41).

With Béla Bartók , whom he met in 1906, he published editions of folk songs (1906–21). Their folk-song collection formed the basis of Corpus Musicae Popularis Hungariae (established 1951). Kodály created an individual style, Romantic in flavour and less percussive than that of Bartók, that was derived from Hungarian folk music, contemporary French music, and the religious music of the Italian Renaissance .

His works, many of which are widely performed, include Psalmus Hungaricus (1923), written to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the union of Buda and Pest; Háry János (1926), a comic opera; two sets of Hungarian dances for orchestra , Marosszék Dances (1930) and Dances of Galánta (1933); a Te Deum (1936); a concerto for orchestra (1941); Missa Brevis (1942); an opera , Cinka Panna (1948); Symphony in C Major (1961); and chamber music, including two cello sonatas (1909–10; 1915), two string quartets (1908; 1916–17), and Serenade, for two violins and viola (1919–20). Kodály’s scholarly writings include Die ungarische Volksmusik (1956; Folk Music of Hungary), as well as numerous articles for ethnographic and musical journals.

The Selected Writings of Zoltán Kodály, edited by Ferenc Bónis and translated from the Hungarian by Lili Halápy and Fred Macnicol, was published in 1974. Learn More in these related articles: Zoltan Kodaly choral composer biography - CD recordings, sheet music and songbook a cappella arrangements Zoltan Kodaly : 55 Two-Part Exercises Review: The Kodaly Choral Concept is revised in an English Edition by Geoffry Russell-Smith. Songlist: Choral Warm-Ups Zoltan Kodaly : 77 Two-Part Exercises Review: The Kodaly Choral Method is a comprehensive series of progressive songs and sigh-singing exercises designed to promote a thorough understanding of interval and tonality. By incorporative a wide range of Hungarian folk music and poetry, Kodaly has produced a stimulating addition to the repertoire of school and amateur choirs. This collection presents 77 two-part exercises.

Songlist: Two-Part Exercises Choral Warm-Ups Zoltan Kodaly : Let Us Sing Correctly - 101 Exercises in Intonation Review: Based on sol-fa notation combined with unaccompanied part singing from the earliest stages in a child's school music, the Kodaly Method develops musical literacy, secure intonation and rhythmic confidence - essential fundamentals of sound music education. The Kodaly Choral Method is a comprehensive series of progressive songs and sigh-singing exercises designed to promote a thorough understanding of interval and tonality. By incorporative a wide range of Hungarian folk music and poetry, Kodaly has produced a stimulating addition to the repertoire of school and amateur choirs.

This collection contains 101 exercises in intonation, and serves as an introduction to the five volumes of two-part exercises Songlist: Let Us Sing Correctly, 101 Exercises in Intonation 6364b | Vocal Warm Up Exercises $7.95 | 2-Part Choral Warm-Ups Zoltan Kodaly : Hungarian Folk Songs for Children's Chorus Review: The Hungarian composer, Zoltan Kodaly, an ethnomusicologist and educationalist, pioneered the reintegration of folk material into 20th century choral music. All four songs in this packages are arrangements based on Hungarian folk songs for children, with english translations by Georffy Russell-Smith. Songlist: Hippity, Hoppity, Ladybird, 'Mid The Oak Trees, Evening Song 9080b | Sheet Music $8.98 | Treble Zoltan Kodaly : Mountain Nights - Songs Without Words for Women's Voices Review: A fascinating and fun set of wordless songs by the Hungarian master. Songlist: Mountain Nights I, Mountain Nights II, Mountain Nights III, Mountain Nights IV, Mountain Nights V 9079b | Sheet Music $7.50 | SSA.

Wordless A Cappella Arrangements Zoltan Kodaly : The Kodaly Concept of Music Education Review: For decades, there has been a great, worldwide interest in Zoltan Kodaly's concept of music education (better known as the Kodaly Method) which, from time to time, had a different geographical emphasis. Hungarian public education has been operating with successes in spite of the changed social and economical circumstances. Even today, the "Hungarian Method" - to use Kodaly's words- serves as a model for many music pedagogues all of the world. This DVD-ROM provides a many-sided and faithful introduction to the Kodaly Concept; and also presents the study programme of the Kecskemet "mother institute" in an attracting and inspiring way. As well as textual introductions to Kodaly's life and the Kodaly Concept of music education the DVD-ROM provides an overview of the practical application of the method through video excepts pf demonstration classes in kindergarten thru secondary school.

Songlist: Welcome, Kodaly's Life, The Kodaly Concept, Demonstrations, Extra Features, On The Foundation, Impressum 6645dvd | DVD $39.95 Children's Choir Development Linda Rann : Kodaly in the Classroom: Set 1 Intermediate Review: Kodaly in the Classroom, Primarily (Set 1) is a collection of children's songs an teacher lessons sequentially organized to teach the basics of pitch and rhythm through singing and games for upper elementary students. The song material consists of American folk and well-known children's songs. Teacher lessons are easy to follow and do not require previous training in Kodaly methodology. The collection includes lesson plans, reproducible singer sheets and activities.

Songlist: Long Legged Sailor, Weevily Wheat, Old Blue, Are You Sleeping?, Button, You Must Wander, Dinah, Dinah, Amasee, Chatter with the Angels, Old Brass Wagon, Canoe Song, Alabama Gal, Love Somebody, Tideo, The Birch Tree, O, How Lovely is the Evening, Music Alone Shall Live, Cape Cod Girls, Viva la Musica, Land of the Silver Birch, Laughing, Singing 6551b | Songbook $19.95 Teaching Kids To Sing Linda Rann : Kodaly in the Classroom: Set 1 Primary Review: Kodaly in the Classroom, Primarily (Set 1) is a collection of children's songs and teacher lessons sequentially organized to teach the basics of pitch and rhythm through singing and games for younger elementary students. The song material consists of American folk and well-known children's songs. Teacher lessons are easy to follow and do not require previous training in Kodaly methodology. The collection includes lesson plans, reproducible singer sheets and activities.

Songlist: Johnny Works with One Hammer, Bernie Bee, Oliver Twist, Teddy Bear, Charlie Over the Ocean, Tick Tock, The Closet Key, Engine, Engine Number Nine, Bye Low, Michael Finnegan, Skip to My Lou, Who's That Tapping at My Window?, Bounce High, Ring Around the Rosie, Star Light, Star Bright, See Saw, Rain, Rain, Partner, Partner, Little Sally Water, Snail, Snail, Bobby Shaftoe, Lucy Locket, Pease Porridge Hot, I See the Moon, Hot Cross Buns, Hop, Old Squirrel, Let Us Chase the Squirrel, Great Big House in New Orleans, Bow, Wow, Wow, Rocky Mountain High 6550b | Songbook $19.95 Teaching Kids To Sing Zoltan Kodaly : Choral Works for Children's and Female Choirs Review: A collection of 75 pieces by noted composer and educator. Suitable for upper voices. Some are quite challenging while other pieces are simple and delightful.

Songlist: Hegyi ejszakak I-V, Jankovich Ferenc: Jelige, Nagyszalontai koszonto (konnyu letet), Nagyszalontai koszonto, Angyalkert - Kecskejatek, Angyalkert - Tyukozas, Angyalkert - Gyertyajatek, Angyalkert - Bent a barany, Angyalkert - Vasarosdi, Hat trefas kanon - Lencse, borso, kasa, Hat trefas kanon - Madarak voltunk, Hat trefas kanon - A leanyka szotalan, Hat trefas kanon - Tyukkergeto, Hat trefas kanon - Furdo utan, Hat trefas kanon - Mikor mentem misere, Szolmizalo kanon, A juhasz, Het konnyu gyeremekkar - Eva, szivem Eva, Het konnyu gyeremekkar - Falu vegen, Het konnyu gyeremekkar - Heja, Het konnyu gyeremekkar - Versenges, Het konny

u gyeremekkar - Ciroka, Het konnyu gyeremekkar - Jo gazd'asszony, Het konnyu gyeremekkar - Zolderdoben, Weores Sandor: Bekedal, Vargha Karoly dr: Az eneklo ifjusaghoz, Nyulacska, Katalinka, A csiko, Cu fol, lovam, Arany Janos: Csalfa sugar, Esti dal, Gazdag Erzsi: Urgeontes, A suket sogor, Harom gomori nepdal, Harmatozzatok!, Sik Sandor: Szent Agnes unnepere, Jelenti magat Jezus, Enek Szent Istvan kiralyhoz, Ave Maria (l), Karacsonyi pasztortanc, Beze, Th.

de: A 150.

genfi zsoltar , Ujesztendot koszonto, Golyanota, Turot eszik a cigany, Villo, Harasztosi legenyek, Gazdag Erzsi: Hazasodik a vakond, Isten kovacsa, Hajnoveszto, Egyetem, begyetem, Harangszo, Gergely-jaras, Ciganysirato, Lengyel Laszlo, Mez, mez, mez, Tancnota, Siik Sandor: Vizkereszt, Semmit ne bankodjal, Angyalok es pasztorok, Arva vagyok, Meghalok, meghalok, Punkosdolo, Ket zoborvideki nepdal - Meghalok, meghalok, Ket zoborvideki nepdal - Piros alma mosolyog, Chi voul veder , Negy olasz madrigal - Fior scoloriti, Negy olsz madrigal - Chi d'amor sente (ol), Four de la bella caiba, A magyarokhoz, A szabadsag himnusza, Hegyi ejszak

ak 7365b | Songbook $23.95 | Treble Danish Choral Music Debrecen Kodaly Chorus : Zoltan Kodaly - Works for Mixed Choir, Vol.

3 Review: The period from 1948 to his death in 1967 was for Kodaly about reaping the fruits. He was a Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Chairman from 1946 to 1949. He received three Kossuth Awards (1948, 1952, 1957), as doctor honoris causa degrees from the universities of Oxford (1960), East Berlin (1964) and Toronto (1966) and honorary memberships from a number of academies around the world. He was made president of the International Folk Music Council in 1961 and honorary memberships from a number of academies around the world. He was made president of the International Society of Music Education in 1964. Two years before his death, in 1965, he received the Herder Prize. He travelled extensively between1960 and 1966, chairing conferences, lecturing throughout Europe in English, German, French and Italian. He lived to see his ambitious plans be accomplished.

Edited by Kodaly, the first firve volumes of Magyar Nepzene Tara came out between 1950 and 1967 and at the same time daily music classes based o the Kodaly method were introduced in 120 schools. In the last twenty years of his life his compositional spirit never flagged either; he wrote masterpieces including Hymn of Zrinyi, Mohacs and Laudes organi, and completed Symphony, begun back in the Thirties and previered in 1961 under the baton of Ferenc Fricsay.

Songlist: To The Singing Youth - Varga, Adoration, Wish For Peace - Virag, The Arms Of Hungary - Vorosmarty, Mohacs - Kisfaludy, Media Vita In Morte Sumus, La Marseillaise - De L'isle, Epigraph - Jankovich, Stabat Mater - Todi, Te Deum Of Sandor Sik, Come, Holy Ghost - Batizi, Hymn Of Zrinyi, I Will Go Look For Death - MAsefield, An Ode For Music, Geneva Psalm L 9840c | 1 CD $15.95 Debrecen Kodaly Chorus : Zoltan Kodaly - Works for the Mixed Choir, Vol. 1 Review: Kodaly stared composing choral works in his student years but he only became a primarily choral composer after the success of Psalmus Hungaricus, from the mid-1920s. This compilation is the first in the set of the Complete Works for Mixed Choir by Zoltan Kodaly. The CD contains, with the exceptions of a short occassional piece, the a cappella compositions of more than three decades.

The composer's corrections in the manuscripts and printed scores could be adopted in this recording courtesy of Mrs. Sarolta Kodaly. Songlist: Misere , Este / Evening, Turot Eszik A Cigany / See The Gypsies Munching Cheese, Uj Esztendot Koszonto / A Christmas Carol, Koszonto / A Birthday Greeting, Matrai Kepek / Matra Pictures, Oregek / The Aged, Akik Mindig Elkesnek / Too Late, Jezus Es A Kufarok / Jesus And The Traders, Horatii CArmen II. 10, Szekely Kereves / Transylvanian Lament, Molnar Anna / Annie Miller, Liszt Ferenchez / Ode To Liszt, A Magyarokhoz / Song Of Faith 9848c | 1 CD $15.95 Debrecen Kodaly Chorus : Zoltan Kodaly - Works for the Mixed Choir, Vol.

2 Review: Even if we consider only his works for mixed choir, we can see how prolific Zoltan Kodaly was between 1937 and 1947, although this recording contains some later transcriptions as well. Corrections printed in the scores were adopted in this recording thanks to Mrs. Sarolta Kodaly. Songlist: The Peacock - Ady, Our Father - Szedo, Hymn To The King Saint Stephen, Evening Song, Greeting On St.

John's Day, Do Not Grieve - Horvath, Norwegian Girls Weores, First Communion - Szedo, The Forgotten Song Balint Balassi - Gazdag, Cohors Generosa, Advent Song, Geneva Psalm 121, Beseeching - Balassi, Song From Gomor, To The Transylvanians - Peotfi, BAttle Song - Petofi, The Hungarian Nation - Petofi, Lament - Bodrogh 9845c | 1 CD $15.95 Hungarian Radio and Television Chorus : Choral Music of Kodaly 1 Review: In the 1930s Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly breathed new life into a form that had been dormant in Europe since the Renaissance, polyphonic choral music.

Janos Ferencsik directs the Hungarian Radio and Television Choirs in 6 of Kodaly's best, all sung a cappella in Hungarian: "Hymn of Zrinyl," "Jesus and the Traders," "The Aged," "Norwegian girls" (written in 1940 and said to be in sympathy with Norway, just overrun by Hitler's Reich), "Too Late" and "Ode to Liszt." This is striking, dramatic, impressionistic, historic music, beautifully performed by one of Europe's great mixed choruses. Songlist: Hymn of Zrinyl, Jesus and the traders, The aged, Norwegian girls, Too late, Ade to Liszt 7759c | 1 CD $15.98 Who Was Kodály – Organization of American Kodály Educators Who Was Kodály Kodály, the Educator and Humanist Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967), prominent Hungarian composer and musician, directed a significant portion of his creative endeavors to the musical education of the Hungarian nation-an interest which developed over many years. Such efforts were initiated with the folk song collection beginning in 1905.

As he became aware of the great need to improve the quality of singing and music training of teachers and children alike, he began composing for children’s choruses in the 1920’s and required his composition students to do the same. Folk music provided inspiration, as well as the musical basis, for many of the compositions. By 1929 he was determined to reform the teaching of music and to make it an integral part of the education of every child. In a lecture on children’s choirs in 1929, he said, “Teach music and singing at school in such a way that it is not a torture, but a joy for the pupil; instill a thirst for finer music in him, a thirst which will last for a lifetime If the child is not filled at least once by the life giving stream of music during the most susceptible period-between his sixth and sixteenth years-it will hardly be of any use to him later on. Often a single experience will open the young soul to music for a whole lifetime. This experience cannot be left to chance, it is the duty of the school to provide it.” (Selected Writings, p.

120) Kodály believed that music is meant to develop one’s entire being-personality, intellect and emotions. He said, “music is a spiritual food for everybody. So I studied how to make more people accessible to good music.” (Kodály, 1966) Kodály realized this was part of everyone’s basic heritage and was necessary for human development and should be started at as early an age as possible. Jenö Ádám, an early and prominent colleague of Kodály, stated, “The most important thing is to actualize the instinctive love of the child for singing and playing, to realize the changing of his moods through the songs, his feelings, his experiences – in other words, to bring about the miracle of music”. Kodaly - definition of Kodaly by The Free Dictionary Kodaly - definition of Kodaly by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Ko·dál·y (kō′dī′, kô′dä-yə), Zoltán 1882-1967.

Hungarian composer whose works include the opera Háry János (1926) and the Mass Missa Brevis (1944). Kodály (Hungarian ˈkodaːj) n (Biography) Zoltán (ˈzoltaːn). 1882–1967, Hungarian composer. His works were often inspired by native folk songs and include the comic opera Háry János (1926) and Psalmus Hungaricus (1923) for chorus and orchestra Ko•dá•ly n. Zoltán, 1882–1967, Hungarian composer. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: composer References in periodicals archive ? Elements of Kodaly and other music programmes are available and we are looking to build on this practical experience that pupils already enjoy across a larger number of educational establishments.

Mercuria Energy Celebrates 2015 Beijing International Music Festival Williamson Art Gallery, Slatey Road, Birkenhead, until November 1 MUsiC Personal Message: Duo for Violin and Cello James Clark and Jonathan Aasgaard, two of the stars of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, perform intimate chamber music that had personal meaning for their Russian and Hungarian composers Gliere, Kodaly and Bartok. Zoltán Kodály Memorial Museum and Archives | Kodály Institute Zoltán Kodály Memorial Museum and Archives Budapest In the spring of 1990 one of the most important workshops of Hungarian music history was opened in Budapest to Hungarian and foreign visitors. This is the only workshop that has basically remained in the condition as left by its immortal dweller, Zoltán Kodály. Opening hours: Visit is possible after setting up an appointment. Please contact us via phone or e-mail at least two days before your visit. 1062 Budapest, Andrássy út 87-89.

phone: +36 1 352 7106 fax: +36 1 322 9647 From October 1924 till his death in March 1967 Kodály lived at the Körönd, which is named after him today. Both the circus that the windows look on and the road with the entrance to the sector-shaped house have preserved numerous features of the historical waves sweeping across Hungary. When the Kodály family moved here, the road was named after Gyula Andrássy (as it is called now), the Prime Minister of the 1867 Constitutional Government. In 1949 the road was renamed to Stalin road, in 1956 to 'Road of the Hungarian Youth' and in 1957 it became the 'People's Republic Avenue'. During World War II the circus was named after Hitler. In 1982 its original name was replaced by 'Kodály Körönd'. This is a miniature Hungarian history in the light of street plates. The flat consisted of four front rooms with conveniences.

The furnishing was practical rather than luxurious; its individuality and charm was given by the taste of its residents. The rooms were decorated with folk ceramics and embroideries (souvenirs from the folk song collecting trips), and with keepsakes of the long-lasting artistic career: statues, laurel wreaths, programs of prominent performances abroad, as well as pictures of the closest family members and contemporary colleagues. The dining room surprises the present day visitor with its puritan and simple furnishings; in Kodály's time, visitors entered this room just like the museum visitors today. We have to picture to ourselves the intellectual radiance of the hosts that made this row of rooms a home, a workshop and a safe resort, even in difficult times. At the dining table there was always a place for welcome guests, and visitors around five in the afternoon were offered mint tea and cakes. Kodály also received the less intimate visitors at this dining table, one time covered with wax-cloth. This is where his first wife, Emma and her helpers sorted the newspaper cuts and other documents of his career. After her death, Sarolta Péczely, Kodály's second wife continued this work in the same spirit.

The collection compiled in this way served as a basis for the Kodály Archives, now arranged according to scientific principles; and for the subsequently connected Memorial Museum founded with the help of the Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskemét. Welcome guests and musicians coming to rehearsals were taken to the next room - a parlor radiating the spirit of the 19th century, worth being painted by Munkácsy. This place was dominated by two pianos. From above the door a Beethoven mask looked at the visitors. Around the stove the sculpture portraits made in various periods by Petri Lajos lived together with their much vivid, not at all statue-like model. Imre Palló, Mária Basilides, Endre Rösler, Set Svanholm, János Ferencsik and Erzsi Török had rehearsals here; the young Tamás Vásáry and the infant prodigy, Miklós Perényi played here Kodály-works to Kodály himself.

Valuable photos kept the memory of Yehudi Menuhin, Aram Khachaturian, József Szigeti, Pablo Casals and Leopold Stokowski who visited this room in the last years. The innermost room was the real workshops with its carved desk and a library covering two walls. Beside the fundamental literature on music history, ethnography, literary history and Hungarology, there were also masterpieces of fiction and poetry in Hungarian, German, French, English, Italian, Latin and Greek languages. Kodály's violoncello - once in frequent use - was kept on the top of the cupboard, with a splinter-hit 'wound' on its body reminder of World War II. The past and the present of the folk music researcher were evoked here and there by several folk instruments and sound recordersing devices. The desk, the tables and the chairs were covered with letters and documents: the tools, requisites and intellectual scobs of an animated workshop. The former bedroom, opening on the left of the dining-room, serves as a place for temporary exhibitions of the Museum.

The first such exhibition gives a rich insight into the composer's workshop, showing for the most part the materials of the Kodály Archives. Through selected documents it presents the years of preparation, the major works of certain periods, the masterpieces of various artistic forms and sometimes the birth process of the works, even from the very conception. It is also indicated how folk song research helped the composer, and how the composer directed his own imagination towards the creation of the 'Singing Hungary' idea. The visitors can see the manuscripts of popular masterpieces, never-performed compositions, some of the first and last works, hastily jotted down notions, as well as final copies of mature works. In one word, you can find here many things that are created and issued in a workshop along with those remaining unissued experiments. The Kodály Archives is an independent establishment but also a co-existing institution of the Museum which runs under the same roof. Its primary task is to properly collect, preserve and register Kodály-documents (manuscripts, printed scores, photos, sound recordings and motion pictures). Other purposes of the Archives is to promote and introduce Kodály-research. The intellectual direction has been undertaken by Mrs.

Zoltán Kodály nee Sarolta Péczely. The material of the first temporary exhibition of the Museum came mainly from the Archives, thus calling the attention of the public and the researchers to this newly established institution. 'Looking back on the road I've passed either in the mountains or in life was never to my liking. I always looked ahead.' - this is how Kodály writes in the preface of his collected writings entitled 'In Retrospect' (in English: Selected Writings). Though we seemingly look back on the road covered when we visit the exhibition, yet Kodály's example gives us strength for the prospective struggle. A struggle for Hungary to be renewed in culture and humanity - so that we may clearly sing one part of the 'cosmic choral work' of Kodály which is mottoed: May the Whole World Rejoice! [Text: Ferenc Bónis] Short Biography Short Biography Membership fees Zoltán Kodály - A short biography Kodály was born in Kecskemét, Hungary, on December 16, 1882. Although born into a musical family, his early interests were towards literary studies.

As his father was a railway official, the Kodály family had a rather peripatetic existence: from 1884 until 1891 they lived in Galánta (later to be immortalised in the orchestral dances Kodály based on folk music from the area), then moving to Nagyszombat (now Trnava, Slovakia), where Zoltán studied violin and piano and sang in the cathedral choir – an early introduction to the importance of choral singing. He explored the scores in the cathedral music library, and taught himself the cello to make up the numbers for his father’s domestic quartet-evenings. From a young age he was already composing: in 1897 the school orchestra played an overture of his, to be followed by a Mass for chorus and orchestra a year later. In 1900, Kodály studied modern languages at the University of Sciences in Budapest, but the call of music eventually proved too strong. He enrolled at the Academy of Music in 1906, later completing a PhD with a thesis entitled: "The Strophic Structure of Hungarian Folk-Songs".

He was now composing prolifically and his interest in Hungarian folk songs took him on many field trips to the Hungarian country side, where he collected folk songs with his close friend Béla Bartók. Though they published their first joint collection early on, it was not until 1951 that their comprehensive critical edition of Hungarian folk songs appeared. After gaining a PhD in philosophy and linguistics, Kodály went to Paris where he studied with Charles Widor and discovered the music of Claude Debussy. On his return to Budapest in 1907 he was appointed a professor at the prestigious Liszt Academy where he taught music theory and composition. Kodály was to teach there for most of his life and upon his retirement as a professor, he returned as the Director of the Academy in 1945. Outside Hungary, Kodály's compositions began to make headway around 1910 and were influenced by concerts in which Bartók and Kodály presented their music. The real breakthrough came in 1923 with a commission to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the union of the cities of Buda and Pest.

The result was the Psalmus Hungaricus, a powerful setting of a sixteenth-century Hungarian version of Psalm LV. This established Kodály both as a national cultural leader, and a figure of international standing. The first of the two operas which followed, Háry János (1926) and the Spinning Room (1932), yielded a suite that soon became internationally popular, as did the orchestral Dances of Marosszék (1930) and Dances of Galánta (1933), all presenting an authentic Hungarian national idiom in a manner that allowed it international prominence. His other orchestral works include a Concerto for Orchestra (1939–40) a Symphony (1957–61) and, one of his best-known scores, the Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song (1938–39), often referred to as the ‘Peacock Variations’. Among his choral-orchestral output the Missa Brevis (1942–44) enjoys considerable esteem, as does the Te Deum of Buda Castle (1936).

Kodály’s renown as a music educator is almost as high as his reputation as a composer. He was very interested in the problems of music education, and wrote a good deal of educational music for schools, as well as books on the subject. His work in this field had a profound effect on musical education both inside and outside his home country. Although he is sometimes acknowledged as the creator of the 'Kodály Method', this is something of a misnomer as Kodály did not actually devise a comprehensive method. Instead, he laid down a set of principles for music education. In 1945 he became the president of the Hungarian Arts Council, and in 1962 received the Order of the Hungarian People's Republic. His other posts included a Presidency of the International Folk Music Council, and Honorary Presidency of the International Society for Music Education. He died in Budapest on 6th March 1967, one of the most respected and well-known figures in the Hungarian arts.

Zoltán Kodály | Kodály Institute Kodály Institute of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music Home Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály (16 December 1882 Kecskemét – 6 March 1967 Budapest) was one of the most outstanding personalities of 20th century Hungarian culture: composer, ethnomusicologist, music pedagogue and linguist. His internationally acknowledged concept of music education is the basis for general music teaching in Hungary and also plays an important role in the training of professional musicians. Zoltán Kodály played a prominent role in Hungarian public life, holding several public posts and being a member or head of numerous boards and committees. He was also acquainted with many influential public figures (musicians, artists, scholars and politicians). Follow the links on the right to find out more about Zoltán Kodály and his lifework. Zoltán Kodály : Biography Zoltán Kodály Biography English Along with Béla Bartók, Zoltán Kodály is one of the two major figures in Hungarian music in the twentieth century.

Composer, pioneering ethnomusicologist, groundbreaking educationalist and critic, Kodály enjoyed a status in his native land that is perhaps unrivalled by any other figure anywhere else in the world. Kodály was born in Kecskemét, in Hungary, on 16 December 1882. Though from a musical family, his initial inclination was towards literary studies. As his father was a railway official, the Kodály family had a rather peripatetic existence: from 1884 until 1891 they lived in Galánta (later to be immortalised in the orchestral dances Kodály based on folk music from the area), then moving to Nagyszombat, where Zoltán studied violin and piano and sang in the cathedral choir – an early introduction to the importance of choral singing. He explored the scores in the cathedral music library, and taught himself the cello to make up the numbers for his father’s domestic quartet-evenings. And he was already composing: in 1897 the school orchestra played an overture of his, to be followed by a Mass for chorus and orchestra a year later.

His higher education began at the University of Sciences in Budapest in 1900, but the call of music proved too strong and in 1902 he enrolled at the Academy of Music, taking a Ph.D. in 1906 with a thesis entitled "Strophic Construction in Hungarian Folk Song". He was now composing prolifically – and he had already begun his fieldtrips, collecting folksongs in the Hungarian countryside with his close friend Béla Bartók; though they published their first joint collection early on, it was not until 1951 that their comprehensive critical edition of Hungarian folksongs appeared. As with Bartók, Kodály’s own music was coloured by the joint influence of Hungarian folksong and of Debussy and French impressionism (he spent some months in Paris, where he attended Widor’s lectures). On his return to Budapest in 1907 he was appointed teacher of theory at the Academy of Music, and a year later he began to teach composition. He was to teach there for the rest of his life: upon his retirement as a professor, he was brought back as the Director of the Academy in 1945.

His compositions began to make headway outside Hungary around 1910, stimulated by concerts in which Bartók and Kodály presented their own music. The real breakthrough came in 1923, with a commission to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the union of the two cities of Buda and Pest. The result was the Psalmus Hungaricus, a powerful setting of a sixteenth-century Hungarian version of Psalm LV which established Kodály as both a national cultural leader and a figure of international standing. The first of the two operas which followed, Háry Janos (1926) and The Spinning Room (1932), yielded a suite that soon became internationally popular, as did the orchestral Dances from Marossek (1930) and Dances from Galánta (1933), all presenting an authentic Hungarian national idiom in a manner that allowed it international prominence.

His other orchestral works include a Concerto for Orchestra (1939–40) a Symphony (1957–61) and, one of his best-known scores, the Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song (1938–39), often referred to as the ‘Peacock Variations’. Among his choral-orchestral output the Missa Brevis (1942–44) enjoys considerable esteem, as does the Budavár Te Deum (1936). Kodály’s authority as a musical pedagogue is almost as high as his reputation as a composer. The ‘Kodály method’ he developed exploits the natural musicality of children to open the pleasures of performance to them, and has become a commonplace of music teaching all around the world. He composed an enormous quantity of choral exercises explicitly intended to encourage amateur singers to extend their techniques, so that his music is likely to remain an active part of the world’s musical life as long as people still want to sing.

Zoltan Kodaly is published by Boosey & Hawkes This biography can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with the following credit: Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes Mailing List Zoltán Kodály | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by Blair Johnston Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály is today remembered as much for his contributions to the fields of ethnomusicology and music education as he is for his own musical creations. Born in 1881, Kodály was the son of a local railway station master and amateur violinist who provided a rich musical environment for his child. Young Zoltán's early exposure to the German classics was tempered by an interest in the folk heritage of his native land; in 1900, after graduating from the Archiepiscopal Grammar School in Nagyszombat, he enrolled simultaneously at Budapest University (where he studied Germanic and Hungarian literature) and at the Budapest Academy of Music. Composition studies at the Academy were fruitful for Kodály, and he took a diploma in the subject in 1904.

In 1905 he received a second diploma in music education, and in 1906 Kodály crowned his academic career with a Ph.D. earned for his thorough structural analysis of Hungarian folksong. During the preparation of this dissertation Kodály went on the first of many excursions into rural Hungary to record and transcribe authentic folk music, and in doing so built a strong and lasting friendship with Béla Bartók (who was engaged in the same practice at the time, and with whom Kodály would go on to publish several collections of Hungarian folk music). Kodály's debut as a composer came in October 1906 with a successful performance of his orchestral poem Summer Evening (Nyári este) at the Academy of Music. Two months later Kodály left Hungary for the first time, having received funding from the Academy for a period of study in Berlin and Paris. Upon his return in 1907 he was appointed to the faculty of the Academy, eventually succeeding his teacher Koessler as professor of composition (and becoming Dohnányi's assistant when the latter was appointed director of the Academy in 1919).

With the creation of the New Hungarian Music Society in 1911, Kodály firmly established himself alongside Bartók and Dohnányi as a powerful force in Hungary's developing musical culture. Kodály produced a steady stream of music (his most famous works being the opera Háry János from 1927 and the orchestral suite from that opera) and important educational works (which have collectively become known to music educators as the Kodály method, and rank in significance alongside similar contributions by Orff and Dalcroze) until his death in 1967. In later years he made frequent concert tours during which he appeared as a conductor of his own music, though he never abandoned what he himself considered to be his primary work: the collection and systematization of Hungarian folk music and culture, and a corresponding assimilation of that body of work into a new Hungarian artistic aesthetic (a goal also shared by his friend Bartók).

In the years after the Second World War he was honored by countless academic, musical, and political organizations around the globe; in 1961 he served as president of the International Folk Music Council, and, in 1964, as honorary president of the International Society of Music Educators. Hungarian Composers Hungarian Composers May 20, 2014 by Brittany McSorley Hungary is located in central Europe, bordered by several countries including Ukraine, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Austria. It is a landlocked country, with the largest city, and capital, Budapest, located in the central northern region. Originally founded in the year 895, Hungary has existed in its current form as a republic since October of 1989. The population of Hungary is a little less than ten million people, with a blend of ethnic groups including Hungarians, Germans, and Romani people, an ethnic group often referred to as gypsies. Hungarian culture is very interesting and dynamic, having developed over the country’s long and rich history. Of its many cultural trends and traditions, Hungary’s music, particularly folk music, remains and important part of the country’s cultural identity.

The popularity and long-standing nature of the folk music tradition has had a strong influence on other genres of Hungarian music, including modern forms as well as classical music. Hungarian classical music is unique in this way, and it is considered one of the country’s most important contributions to the culture of the European continent in general. Hungary has produced some of the most influential classical music composers in history, who enjoyed success and admiration throughout Hungary and throughout the rest of Europe. If you are studying classical music, Hungarian history, or European music trends in general, this introduction to Hungarian composers will familiarize you with some of the important historical figures whose work contributed to this country’s classical music traditions. Their compositions and contributions to the classical genre are still celebrated today, and have informed the work of those who composed music after them. Béla Bartok Considered one of Hungary’s greatest composers, and one of the most prominent composers of the twentieth century overall, Béla Bartok was born in 1881 in a region now considered a part of Romania. He is considered one of the founders of the practice of ethnomusicology. Ethnomusicology is the study of music based on its social and cultural backgrounds in addition to its sound and composition.

In Bartok’s time it was referred to as comparative musicology, and developed over the years into ethnomusicology as we know it today. Throughout his career, Bartok collected and studied a great deal of Hungarian and central European folk music, studying its historical and cultural contexts and incorporating its themes into his own compositions. He is known as one of the first Hungarian composers to incorporate the country’s musical history into his work in this way. Bartok’s biggest classical influences included the works of French composer Claude Debussy, and German composers Richard Strauss and Johannes Brahms. His first major work, written in 1903, was titled “Kossuth,” celebrating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 in the form of a symphonic poem. His “String Quartet in A Minor,” was written in 1908, and was his first piece that included significant and noticeable elements of folk music. Bartok went on to write several more string quartets, as well as violin sonatas and ballets, one of which was titled “The Miraculous Mandarin” and was heavily influenced by the work of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.

Franz Liszt A musical predecessor of and mentor to Béla Bartok, Franz Liszt is considered one of the most influential composers in Hungarian history, contributing a great deal of important music to the nineteenth century classical music genre in Europe. Liszt was born in 1811 in Doborján, in the Kingdom of Hungary, to a father who was very musically inclined, and associated with many significant musicians. In addition to being a composer, Liszt was also an accomplished pianist, and he initially gained popularity in the music world in this way, even being deemed a virtuoso, called the most advanced pianist of his age, and considered by many to be one of the most accomplished pianists of all time. Liszt worked as a piano teacher and a conductor in addition to composing his own music, and also transcribed a great deal of popular music for piano, making it more widely available. Liszt’s best known work is a collection called “Years of Pilgrimage,” which includes three musical suites, consisting of both his original work and variations, referred to as “paraphrases,” of other classical music pieces.

Liszt is famous for creating the symphonic poem, or a piece of orchestral music in which the sound evokes the content of another source, such as a poem, short story, or novel. Liszt composed thirteen symphonic poems himself. He is remembered as one of the most creative and unique composers of the Romantic period. Zoltán Kodály Zoltán Kodály was born in 1882 in the central Hungarian city of Kecskemét. He was introduced to music early on in his life, learning to play the violin as a child. Like Béla Bartok, Kodály was very interested in Hungarian folk music, and even wrote a thesis in 1906 on the subject of Hungarian folk songs, based on phonographic recordings he had made the previous year while traveling to remote Hungarian villages. It was titled “Strophic Construction in Hungarian Folksong.” Around the same time, he met Bartok, who shared his interest in Hungarian folk music, and the two remained close friends for the remainder of their lives.

Kodály’s notable compositions include “Summer Evening,” written in 1905, “Concerto for Orchestra,” written in 1939, and “Variations on a Hungarian Folksong,” written in 1939. Though he is known for his musical contributions, Kodály is best remembered for developing a unique approach to music education, which was then converted into a specific educational method named after him. He was very interested in music education throughout his career, and sought to change the way music was taught to young children in lower and middle schools throughout Hungary in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Among his ideas was the concept of teaching children about concepts such as rhythm by incorporating skills that they could easily master already, such as hand gestures, clapping. And other types of movement, Kodály also composed a large amount of music intended for children’s education to accompany these methods. Later Composers Béla Bartok and Franz Liszt were contemporaries, and their work had a significant influence on Zoltán Kodály and his contemporary composers. Similarly, the work of all three of these artists influenced the work of the following eras in Hungarian classical music.

During the Communist era, classical music became very formalistic, with commonly festive themes. The work of composers Endre Szervánsky and Lajos Bárdos are most indicative of these themes. This period was followed by a new wave of music composition beginning in the 1950s, and the modernization of Hungarian classical music with the introduction of the New Music Studio in 1970. Certain modern Hungarian composers, such as Miklós Rózsa, have gained renown and enjoyed success composing music for Hollywood film scores. Classical Music Study These composers are only a few examples of the classical music talent that the country of Hungary has produced throughout history. Other famous Hungarian composers to study include Karl Goldmark, Stephen Heller, and László Lajtha. Many world-famous pianists, violinists, and a variety of other musicians are Hungarian as well. Beyond Hungary, other European nations, as well as countries from around the globe, have contributed to the timeless and beautiful art of classical music. Hopefully, this introduction to Hungarian composers has piqued your interest in classical music in general, and encouraged you to pursue further study of this very important musical genre.

Question: What was the forename of the Hungarian composer Kodaly?
Answer: Zoltan